1 John 2v12-17

Words of Encouragement in verses 12-14

In these verses John uses four different Greek words when addressing his readers:

  1. Little children
  2. Fathers
  3. Young men
  4. Infants

How many groups?

  • Is it 4 groups or only 2 groups of readers?
  • John uses ‘little children’ throughout the letter to address his readers and uses ‘infants’ again in verse 18;
  • Therefore John could be using ‘little children’ and ‘infants’ as generic terms to address all his readers;
  • Then he could be splitting the ‘little children’ into 2 groups – ‘fathers’ and ‘young men.’

Are the terms ‘fathers’ and ‘young men’ in relation to physical age or spiritual maturity?

  • Physical age does not equate to spiritual maturity; 
  • One can be physically old but spiritually immature and vice versa;
  • One can be physically young but spiritually mature;
  • One can be a Christian for a long time but be spiritually immature and vice versa;
  • One can be a Christian for a short time but become spiritually mature.

Notice the repetition and some further additions in each group:

12 I Awrite to yous, little children, because the sins have been MorPforgiven for yous on account of the name of him.

13 I Awrite to yous, fathers, because yous have Aknown1 the one (Jesus) from beginning.  (Known Jesus who was from beginning of creation or known Jesus from the beginning of His ministry or known Jesus from the beginning of their belief?) I Awrite to yous, young men, because yous have Aovercome the evil one. (The Devil) I Awrite to yous, infants, because yous have Aknown1 the father.

14 I Awrite-a to yous, fathers, because yous have Aknown1 the one from beginning. (Repeat of previous except for aorist tense verb)  I Awrite-a to yous, young men, because yous are strong and the word of (the) God Aabides in yous (addition to previous, along with aorist tense verb) and yous have Aovercome the evil one.

Warning

15 Yous, Alove not the world nor the things in the world.  If anyone (might) Aloves the world the love of the father is not in him,

  • Again the word for love here is agapaō = sacrificial love;
  • You cannot sacrificially love the world and the Father at the same time.
  • James even says friendship (connected to phileō love) with the world is enmity with God (James 4v4);
  • The whole world system is under the control of the Devil;
  • 2 Cor 4v4 says – the Devil is the god of this age;
  • What is at stake is worldliness versus holiness;
  • Without holiness no one will see the Lord (Hebs 12v14).

Why should we not love the world?

16 because every(the)thing in the world, the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the boasting of the livelihood, is not out of the father but is out of the world.

  1. Desire of the flesh – all that our sin nature craves or lusts after;
  2. Desire of the eyes – all that our eyes see and want in covetousness;
  3. Boasting of the livelihood or pride of our stuff/what we have accumulated.

Advertisements appeal to 1, 2 or all 3 of these points.

17 And the world MorPpasses away and the desire of it. 

A 4th reason why we should not love the world:

4. The world passes away – it is all temporary – you cannot take anything of the world with you.

The things in the world system are designed for our comfort, ease, pleasure and entertainment to take our time, energy, attention and money away from being holy.

  • What takes up our time, energy, attention and money?
  • Are they things out of the world or things out of the Father?

Will of God

17 (continued) Moreover, the one Adoing the will of (the) God Aabides into the age.

  • Notice it is the one doing the will of God and not simply believing in Jesus (faith alone) that will abide into the age;
  • We are rewarded according to our works in terms of whether we will abide into the age to come.

What is the will of God?

  • In general – keeping the commandments of Jesus;
  • But there are 3 specific passages which mention the will of God:

1 Thess 4v3-8

  • Abstain from sexual immorality;
  • How to possess your own vessel in sanctification and honour;
  • Not take advantage of or defraud a brother;
  • No uncleanness but holiness.

1 Thess 5v14-22

  • No unruliness, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak;
  • Be patient with all, not rendering evil for evil but good;
  • Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks;
  • Not quenching the spirit, not despising prophecies;
  • Test all things, hold what is good and abstain from all evil.

1 Peter 2v13-20

  • Submit to every ordinance of man;
  • Doing good, honour all, love the brotherhood, fear God and honour the king;
  • Submissive to your masters with all fear.

Doing the will of God = holiness = not loving the world = abiding into the age

Translation problem at the end of verse 17:

  • Many translations have ‘abides forever’ but this is not accurate; 
  • This may have been influenced by theology;
  • An age is a defined period of time which can be short or long; 
  • An age cannot be equated to forever.

In the Premillennial view there will be an age to come after the return of Jesus of 1,000 years i.e. the millennial kingdom age.  This was the predominant view of the early church for the first few centuries.  The forever i.e. the new heaven and earth along with the New Jerusalem, comes after this millennial kingdom age (see diagrams below).

However, the amillennial view was popularised in the fourth century and became the predominant view of the church.  In this view, Jesus will return at the end of a spiritual millennium which we are now currently in, so what will come next is the forever rather than an age. 

It is quite possible the amillennial view has influenced the translation of this verse to eliminate the possibility of abiding into an age to come.